New and Improved
by dtav
Summary: Edward is an account rep for a major advertising agency.  Jasper is the owner of a large sports equipment company who has been badly burned by love before.  Can Jasper turn over a new leaf and learn to love again?  Slash-Written for OCDJen's Birthday!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hello all! This is just a little something I wrote in honor of OCDJen's birthday! We all know she loves a little angst, so I tried my best to give it to her. This is not beta'd so all mistakes are mine!**

**Happy Birthday, DMT! Hope you have a great day!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own unfortunately.**

Emmett McCarty motioned for me to have a seat. "I really need you to do a favor for me, Edward. It's my wife's birthday tonight. She was supposed to be away with her girlfriends over night, but her plans have changed. Since she's home tonight, I need to take her to dinner or else I'm in big trouble. You know Rosalie, so you know I speak the truth! However, because of that, I need you to fill in for me at this dinner meeting I already had set up with Jasper Whitlock for this evening."

"Wait! What?" I spluttered out. I was Emmett's assistant, not an account rep, but Emmett ignored me and continued on.

"Here's the advertising proposal we've been discussing. Let him look it over and then answer his questions the best that you can. Anything you can't answer, make a note of and I'll call him tomorrow on it. Okay?"

Giving my boss a dubious look, I thought for a moment. Jasper Whitlock was the president of Whitlock Sports, the largest ski equipment supplier west of the Rockies and their biggest client. My boss expected him to present their advertising proposal?

"Mr. McCarty, I don't know if that is such a good idea, I mean, McCarty and Newton, Inc. has been waiting a long time to land this account. I'd hate to be responsible for us losing him so soon after he signed with us."

Emmett McCarty shook his head. "First of all, I keep telling you to call me Emmett. Second of all, don't worry, Edward, I have complete confidence in you. You have worked just as hard on this project as everyone else has and you know the proposal inside and out. Just let him review it and answer any questions you can. Now here's everything." He handed me a big portfolio.

"You have to meet him at La Barca at 8:00 p.m. I called to let him know that you would be meeting with him in my place. Pick up the tab and we'll do an expense report for you tomorrow. Any questions?" he asked packing up his briefcase.

Standing up, I walked towards Mr. McCarty's desk. After putting the portfolio down, I looked up at him. "I think you should have his account rep, Scott Meyers, take him out in your absence. It's really not proper business protocol to have me handle it."

"You have no choice," Emmett said as he gathered up his belongings. "Everyone else is already gone for the day, and I trust your judgment. Have fun."

With that, he walked out the door and to the elevator bank leaving me in shock. Emmett really couldn't be serious about having me, an executive assistant, make a presentation to Jasper Whitlock, one of the most successful men in Colorado. Not only was he the president of his company at the age of 34, but he was also one of the handsomest men Edward had ever seen. Glancing down at my black pants and white shirt, I decided to go home to change. Maybe a more sophisticated look would help cover up my inexperience. My last thought as I left was that Emmett had better know what he was doing.

I looked anxiously around the restaurant. Due to a bad traffic accident, I was 15 minutes late and I knew from Scott that Jasper Whitlock was a stickler for punctuality. Looking around again, I saw him sitting at a corner table looking at his watch.

'_Damn, he's even more handsome in person_!' I thought, _'How am I ever going to concentrate on this proposal when eyes as blue as his are staring back at me? Well, it's now or never'._

Entering the dining area, I weaved my way through the tables managing not to hit anyone with the portfolio I was carrying. As I neared the table, I could see how the blue of Jasper's shirt matched his eyes perfectly. His navy blue pinstriped suit was obviously tailor made, and his tie was definitely not like the ties I bought my dad for Christmas or Birthdays. It probably cost more than my whole outfit. I had changed into a pale green shirt to go with my charcoal grey suit and my eyes, but I paled in comparison to Jasper. Coming out of my reverie, I realized Jasper Whitlock had stood up.

"Mr. Cullen," he drawled out, "How nice of you to finally show up."

Blushing, I tried to explain, "Mr. Whitlock, I really must apologize for being late. There was a terrible traffic accident and….."

"First of all, call me Jasper, and second of all, my time is limited so can we get down to business?"

My stomach began to churn. This wasn't go to be easy. Mr. Whitlock, Jasper, was probably resentful that a lowly assistant was sent to meet with him instead of the department head.

'Certainly, Mr.…er, Jasper." I mumbled smiling as best as I could with his baby blues boring into me. "Would you like to order first?"

"I don't mean to be presumptuous, Mr. Cullen, but I took the liberty of ordering for us both while I was waiting."

Well, a man who likes to take charge, I liked that. "That's fine, and please, call me Edward. I'm sure Mr. McCarty explained to you why he was unable to make the meeting this evening. But, I have the proposal here and I am sure I can answer any questions you may have."

Jasper reached across the table. "May I see the proposal, please?" Handing it over to him, our hands brushed and I felt of shock of electricity between them. I was sure Jasper could see my hand trembling, and I couldn't even meet his eyes. When I did look up, it was to see that Jasper was studying me intently. Then, he looked away and began to examine the proposal. Every so often he'd look up at me and then made a note on his pad. I was so relieved when the waiter arrived with our appetizer and drinks. Jasper had ordered fresh clams on the half shell and a wonderful white wine, which was just what the doctor ordered.

Sipping my wine, I ate a few clams while Jasper continued working. Finally, Jasper put his pen down and took a sip of wine. Not being able to stand the suspense any longer, I blurted out, "What did you think of the proposal?"

"I like it, and I especially like the idea of using regular people as spokespersons as opposed to celebrities. Consumers feel more comfortable seeing one of their own endorse a product. Where do you propose to shoot the commercials and do the print ands?" Jasper inquired.

This I could handle, so I began to relax. "Mr. Newton owns a cabin in Aspen. He is going to let us use it for the indoor shots. We can use the land surrounding it for the outdoor shots. We feel it is important to project a more romantic atmosphere indoors for those who view ski weekends as a way to meet someone or just cozy up with a few friends. The outdoor shots will be for the serious skier who's interested in having the best equipment."

Jasper looked impressed. "Well done. Sounds like it covers our target market pretty well. I want professions only involved in the stunts for the outdoor shots as I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt."

"Don't worry," I assured him, "Everyone who auditions has to pass a test prepared by the ski instructors at the Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge."

At this point, the waiter cleared away the dishes and served us our dinner. Jasper had ordered us both steaks, medium rare, with baked potatoes and salad. I was in heaven and dug right into my meal.

"I'm glad to see you are happy with what I ordered. Are you always so easy to please? Jasper asked.

"Not always," I laughed. "But I do happen to love a good steak!"

Jasper smiled and took a moment to put his notes away and then turned back to me. "It seems like we covered all the basics. There are a few things I would like to discuss with Emmett, some of the finer details, but I can do that tomorrow. How about we put business aside for just a moment, if that's okay with you?"

"If you're sure I can't answer any other questions for you, then yes, that works for me," I responded.

Jasper sipped his wine and refilled my glass. "I'm curious, what part do you play at McCarty & Newton?"

Swallowing my wine, I answered, "I work with Mr. McCarty, Emmett. Guess you could say I'm his right hand man."

"You're kind of young to hold such a position, aren't you? I mean, how old are you anyway?" Jasper interrupted.

Contemplating the question, I thought about it. I was kind of young to be an assistant to a President/CEO like Emmett, but I was a hard worker and I definitely deserved my position. "I'm 25, and, yes, I might be a little young but I went to work for him right after college graduation, and kind of worked my way up. Emmett, er, Mr. McCarty, has been very helpful to me, and very encouraging."

"I'm sure he has been," Jasper agreed. "Are you two very close?"

"Oh, yes!" I exclaimed. "We work very closely together. He really is wonderful and he's taught me so much about the business."

Jasper sat back in his chair and gave me a searching look. The waiter came and cleared away the dinner dishes.

"Would you like dessert, Edward? I don't have time myself, but if you'd like something?" Jasper motion dot the dessert menu that the waiter was holding.

Sensing Jasper's impatience, I declined. "I have to run myself, thanks anyway though," I said smiling.

Jasper gave me another curious look. "I see you are all dressed up. Do you have a date?"

Thinking quickly, I figured two could play this game. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do have a date later this evening." Turning to the waiter, I motioned to him. "We'll take the check." The waiter put the check in front of Jasper, so I reached for it. "I'll take care of that."

"No, Edward, I'll pick it up," Jasper stated.

"Oh, no," I insisted. "Emmett told me to be sure I picked up the tab. It's our pleasure." Taking care of the bill, we made our way out of the restaurant.

While we were waiting for a taxi, Jasper turned to me and said, "So, you have an expense account?"

"No, I don't," I explained. "Emmett will put it through on his account like he always does for me."

"Very cozy, Mr. Cullen," Jasper sneered.

Flinching at the hostile tone in Jasper's voice, I tried to think of how to respond. Before I could say anything, a taxi pulled up and Jasper motioned for me to get inside. "Good evening, Mr. Cullen. It was a pleasure working with you. Please tell Emmett I will call him tomorrow to discuss the some working points of the proposal. Oh, and enjoy your date."

With that, he slammed the door of the taxi and I was on my way. _'What the heck just happened?'_ I thought, _'One minute he was so friendly, and the next so contemptuous. At least he liked the proposal, that's one consolation. That, and the fact that I got to stare into those blue eyes all evening.'_

When the taxi dropped me off at home, I couldn't wait to strip out of my suit and wrap my hand around my cock. Thinking about Jasper on the cab ride home riled me up and made me hard as a rock. Heading into the shower, I enjoyed the feel of the warm water cascading down my body as I stroked myself to thoughts of Jasper Whitlock.

The man was dangerously handsome. He was the ultimate ski boy with curly blond hair, sky blue eyes, and a fit body to die for. The thought of his big masculine hands working my body was bringing closer and closer to the edge. Continuing to stroke myself, I slid my other hand between my legs to cup my balls and tug on them.

My thoughts turned back to Jasper's hands, and how they would feel as he unzipped my jeans and slipped his hand inside, caressing my cock, swiping a finger over the head gathering the precum there. Visualizing him sucking his finger into his mouth and tasting me was all I needed to push my body over the edge. My orgasm rocked through me as my cock shot out stream after stream of my hot cum all over my hand and the shower wall. Bracing myself against the wall with one hand, I caught my breath and smiled. If this was any indication of how things were going to go, I was going to be very happy boy if I had to continue working with Jasper Whitlock.

Emmett was waiting by my desk when I walked in the next morning.

"Well," he boomed, "how did it go?"

"Much better than I expected." I relayed the details of the dinner. "I think he was very pleased with the proposal, and he said he was going to call you today to discuss some details."

"I told you not to worry, Edward. My confidence in you has been proven time and time again. As a matter of fact, I have something to speak with you about. Come into my office when you are settled." Emmett smiled and headed into his office.

When Emmett was gone, my thoughts turned back to Jasper Whitlock. He was so handsome it was criminal and I was hoping that I could control my body's reaction to him if I ended up working closely with him. '_Who am I kidding? Why would a guy like him, who could have any woman he wanted, want me? I don't even know if he's gay! Granted, at 6'1", with reddish brown hair and green eyes, I was no slouch, but he's still way out of my league.'_

Heading into Emmett's office, he motioned me to sit. "One of the account representative positions will be open soon and I'm recommending you for it. I feel you are ready to handle the added responsibility and your creativity on the Whitlock Account proves that you are the ideal choice. That's why I let you take over the meeting last evening. Your first account will be the Whitlock Account. "

"That's wonderful, Emmett! Thank you so much for your confidence in me, but who's leaving?" I inquired.

"Scott Meyers. The details behind his termination are not for public knowledge. We'll be telling everyone that Scott received an offer elsewhere, but in actuality, he was selling our advertising proposals to a competitor looking to steal accounts from us. He was being paid very nicely for his information. Someone in the other firm found out about it and went to the company's president. Once he found out that one of his employees was paying Scott for inside information, he fired his employee and called me right away. We realize these things happen, and we are happy it's resolved. However, we need someone to take Scott's place and you are the logical choice. Any questions?" Emmett finished.

Shaking my head, I tried to absorb everything Emmett just told me. Scott was so lucky the company wasn't going to press charges. His loss was my gain.

"Okay, good," Emmett said gathering up some papers. "Would you mind going through the Farrell file for me to make sure all the proper releases are in there for the shoot tomorrow? It's on my desk."

"Sure, Emmett, no problem. I'll just work on it in your office and I'll handle the phones from here."

Not long after Emmett left, I was deeply involved in the Farrell file, so involved that I didn't hear the knock on the door or realize I had company until Patty said, "There's this gorgeous hunk outside waiting to see you. I think he said his name is Jasper Whitlock. He asked for Emmett, but when I explained he was in a meeting so he asked for you."

"Oh shit!" I exclaimed. "Why did he have to show up now? Okay, well, I guess send him in."

"You lucky devil!" Patty smirked. "He's a hunk. I wouldn't mind being stuck with him."

Patty ushered Jasper in and left closing the door behind her, but not before giving me a wink behind Jasper's back.

Well, Mr. Cullen," he said extending his hand. "It's a pleasure to see you again." I shook his hand hoping he couldn't feel how much it was trembling.

"I'm sure Emmett will be sorry to have missed you, but he is attending a meeting at the moment, and please, call me Edward."

"That's okay, I'm sure you can help, Edward. I just have a few questions." Jasper took a moment to look around the room. "Nice office you have here."

"Oh, it's not mine, it's Emmett's. I'm just completing some paperwork for a shoot we have tomorrow," I explained.

"Nice, well, shall we get down to business?" Jasper pulled out his pages of notes, and we spent the next hour hashing out some details for the storyboards. As we were discussing what type of action shots should be used as a central focus, my stomach growled.

"Excuse me, I didn't have time for breakfast and I guess it's getting close to lunchtime now." Embarrassment flooded my system.

"How rude of me, I should have realized the time. I was planning on inviting Emmett to join me for an early lunch, so how about you joining me in his place?"

After thinking about it for a moment, I decided to go for it. "That would be great. Let me just check with Patty and see if she can cover the phones for me."

"Why? Is your secretary out?" Jasper asked.

"No, I don't have a secretary. Patty is Emmett's secretary, but I cover my own phones, and hers when she goes to lunch," I answered.

"Wait? What? Why wouldn't you have a secretary when Scott had one?" Jasper demanded.

"Scott had a secretary because he was an account rep, I'm an executive assistant." I was confused at the anger on Jasper's face. "What's that matter? Surely you knew I was Emmett's executive assistant, and yes I answer my own phone. Does this mean your invitation to lunch is no longer valid?"

"You're damn right!" Jasper yelled. "How dare you lead me to believe that you were Emmett's right hand man and an account representative when you are a glorified secretary?"

"I never led you to believe any such thing! And I'm not a glorified secretary, I am Emmett's assistant and part of that is answering phones! In any case, what's wrong with being a secretary? I'm sure you have one." I growled out. By this point we were both standing on opposite sides of the desk glaring at each other.

"Nothing is wrong with it, but I don't appreciate them putting a multimillion dollar account into the hands of a glorified secretary who led me to believe he was qualified to discuss this proposal with me."

"I am qualified. I worked just as hard on that proposal as anyone else here. As a matter of fact, a lot of the ideas in there are mine. And, Emmett and Scott handled your account jointly. Since neither of them were able to attend the meeting with you, as Emmett explained to you, I had to go in their place," I snarled.

"He told me that his new account rep would be taking over my account and handling the meeting. Your name was not mentioned. Please let him know I'll be contacting him regarding the handling of this matter and the dissolution of my contract with McCarty and Newton," he snapped as he turned to leave.

I came around the desk and grabbed his arm to stop him. "Jasper, Mr. Whitlock, please, don't penalize Emmett because you are angry with me."

Jasper turned around, and pushed me back against Emmett's desk pressing his body against mine. I could feel his arousal against my thigh, that answered one question for me.

"Listen to me, Edward, and listen good. You might be a fine piece of ass, and maybe that's how you got to where you are today, but that's not going to work on me, got it?"

"But, you're wrong! I didn't get to where I am today by sleeping my way there, I worked for it!" I yelled, struggling to get out of Jasper's grip. All I succeeded in doing was rubbing my erection against his. His eyes flared with desire and anger as he pressed me further back on the desk.

The sound of the door banging open caused Jasper to let go of me and jump backwards. We both stood there looking at Emmett at he stared at us in disbelief.

"What the hell is going on here?" Emmett yelled.

TBC

**A/N 2 Hope you enjoyed it, bb. Happy Birthday – hope you have a wonderful day! Much love from your DMT!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: You guys will not believe this, but my beta got this chapter back to me about three weeks ago, and I completely forgot about posting it until today! I'm so sorry, but here it is. Hope you enjoy!**

"_But, you're wrong! I didn't get to where I am today by sleeping my way there, I worked for it!" I yelled, struggling to get out of Jasper's grip. All I succeeded in doing was rubbing my erection against his. His eyes flared with desire and anger as he pressed me further back on the desk._

_The sound of the door banging open caused Jasper to let go of me and jump backwards. We both stood there looking at Emmett as he stared at us in disbelief._

"_What the hell is going on here?" Emmett yelled. _

Chapter Two

Jasper and I froze, neither one of us responding to Emmett's inquiry. My heart was racing in my chest, and my erection was still throbbing in my pants. Stealing a glance at Jasper, I could see he was still breathing heavily as he rested back on the desk. I wanted nothing more than to look down and see if he was still hard, but with Emmett there, it was out of the question.

"I was going to say I was glad to catch you as I wanted to speak to you about a few changes in the handling of your account, but now I think we need to speak on another matter entirely," Emmett snapped out glancing between the two of us.

"That's funny," Jasper stated as he pushed himself off the desk. "I wanted to speak to you about the same matter. You first."

"Oh, no, no, no," Emmett said shaking his head. "You are definitely going first. This scene I walked in on here has to be explained."

Jasper turned to look at me and closed his eyes for a second before turning back to Emmett. "I'm not really sure what you think you walked in on, Emmett. Edward and I were just having a discussion about a few things, that's all."

"It looked like a little more than that to me," Emmett said looking over at me. "Edward, what do you have to say about what happened?"

Both Emmett and Jasper turned to look at me while waiting for my answer. Now, I was on the spot. If I told Emmett the truth about what had transpired between Jasper and me, it would not be pretty and I didn't want to be responsible for Emmett losing this account. If I lied about it, then at least Emmett got to hold on to the account and maybe, just maybe, it would give me a chance to prove myself to Jasper.

"Nothing happened, Emmett, we were just talking about some issues that Jasper has regarding the account," I responded.

"Edward, be honest with me," Emmett chastised me.

"Emmett, I…" I mumbled out.

"Emmett, don't take it out on Edward. None of this was is fault. It was mine, I overreacted about some stuff and took it out on him," Jasper interjected. "I will take full responsibility for my actions and hope we can talk and work through it."

Emmett looked back and forth between the two of us, silently assessing the situation. His gaze lingered on me for just a minute longer than it did on Jasper. I gave him a slight nod to let him know that everything was okay.

"All right, Jasper, well I guess now is as good of a time as any to talk," Emmett relented.

I turned to leave the room, and Emmett stopped me. "No, Edward, this concerns you also."

"It certainly does," Jasper agreed. "Please stay, Edward."

I settled myself on the couch while Emmett and Jasper remained standing on opposites sides of the desk.

"Jasper, I would like you to meet McCarty and Newton's newest account executive, Edward Cullen. He'll be taking over the handling of your account."

Jumping up, I gave Emmett a big hug. "Emmett, this is wonderful! Thank you so much for recommending me and going to bat for me."

"Well, Jasper," Emmett laughed, keeping his arm around my shoulder. "What do you think of your new account executive?"

Jasper straightened his tie and picked up his briefcase before answering. "If you think so little of my account that you would hand it over to someone who has so obviously used his charms to obtain this position, and who practices deceit to get something he wants, then I guess I will be taking my business elsewhere."

Emmett pulled his arm off of my shoulder and walked over to face Jasper. "Jasper, I'm not sure I know what you are talking about." Emmett was giving both Jasper and myself confused looks. "What's going on here?" he demanded. "Someone tell me now!"

Jasper walked over to the door. "Ask your assistant/account representative. Hopefully, you'll get the truth, which is more than I can say about myself." With that, he left the office. I sank back down onto the couch and put my head into my hands.

"Emmett, I am so sorry that this happened. Call Mr. Whitlock later and let him know that I am not accepting the position. Tell him I've resigned. Tell him anything, I just don't want you to lose this account," I sobbed out as my tears started to fall.

Emmett came over and sat next to me on the couch, putting his arm around my shoulder. "Edward, calm down, it's going to be okay. Look at me, and talk to me." Turning to look at him, he reached over to brush my tears off my cheek. Jasper picked that moment to walk back in.

"Sorry to interrupt this little 'conference', but I forgot my cell phone." He took his phone from Emmett's desk and strode to the door. "His kind I can understand, Emmett, but you?" Jasper whispered, shaking his head. "What about Rosalie?" Turning his back on us, he left the office for good this time.

Emmett turned to look at me with confusion written all over his face. "What the fuck is going on, Edward? Tell me what happened and what the hell he is talking about, now!"

Repeating the conversation that Jasper and I were having before he walked in, I left out the part about us rubbing our erections together. I didn't think that Emmett would be interested in hearing about that. "Obviously, we got our signals mixed up," I explained. "But I didn't do it on purpose, Emmett, honest. And, I don't know where he got the idea that I used my charms to work my way to the top. You know that's not true, I don't know why he would say something so mean. What did I ever do to him?"

Emmett sighed. "It's all making sense now, Edward. It's not you he's upset about, really it's not. He sees how close we are, and he doesn't trust it. The first thing he is thinking is that there is something going on between us for us to be so close and for you to have moved up so quickly. This is all my fault."

"No, it's not, Emmett!" I exclaimed. "You are not at fault here. Jasper is for jumping to the wrong conclusion about the situation and then running out before we could even defend ourselves."

"You don't understand, Edward. If I had told you about the promotion yesterday, before you met with Jasper, this wouldn't have happened, but I wanted it to be a surprise. If you had known, you would have been able to enlighten him. There wouldn't have been any misunderstanding then, you understand?" Emmett responded sadly.

"I guess you're right. But, hindsight is 20/20, and he still should have given us a chance to explain things instead of automatically thinking the worst." My anger at Jasper was building by the minute. Not only did he disrespect me and upset me, now he was causing Emmett distress and he was just an innocent bystander in the massacre that occurred.

"Don't worry about Jasper, Edward. He'll come around, you'll see," Emmett soothed me.

"There's no way I can work with him, Emmett. He despises me! The fact that he thinks the only reason that I got this promotion is because I'm having an affair with you sickens me. I want nothing to do with him because there is no way I could work with someone who thinks that way," I spoke truthfully.

"Edward, I think it's time I give you a little bit about Jasper's personal history. Not many people know this, so I'm going to ask you to keep it under your hat. The only reason I'm even telling you is so that you understand why Jasper reacted the way he did today. Do I have your word that what we speak about stays between us?" Emmett inquired.

At first I was tempted to tell Emmett to forget it, that I didn't want to hear anything that might absolve Jasper of his bad behavior. But, my curiosity got the best of me and I found myself agreeing to keep everything confidential.

"About a year ago," Emmett started. "Jasper was involved with one of his employees, and they became engaged. She was one of his senior managers, and he was so blind in love that against his better judgment and that of his board of directors, he promoted her to Assistant Vice President of Research and Development two weeks before the wedding. It was kind of a wedding gift for her. A week later, she called off the wedding and wanted nothing more to do with him." Emmett stopped talking and got himself a bottle of water from the fridge.

"That's awful, Emmett," I murmured in disbelief.

"It was awful, Edward. Jasper tried to fire her by showing that it turned out she was just in the relationship to advance herself in the company, but she retaliated by suing him for sexual harassment and discrimination. They've been battling the case in court for the last six months. He's been very upset about it. It was a big blow to his ego both personally and professionally," Emmett finished.

Flabbergasted couldn't explain how I felt at that moment. "I didn't know any of that. No wonder he is so judgmental about things. While I understand him a little bit better now, I still think I should decline the position. The damage has already been done."

"Absolutely not, Edward. You deserve this position. I will speak with Jasper, and explain things to him. If he is still adamant about it, I'll reassign his account to one of the other reps. Why don't you take the rest of the day off and celebrate?" Emmett suggested. "I think the break will do you good."

"Thanks, Emmett, but I really don't feel much like celebrating," I mumbled sadly.

"Take the break then and do something fun to cheer yourself up. I don't want to see you again until tomorrow." Emmett dismissed me with a wave of the hand.

"Okay, I guess I can use the time to come to terms with everything that's happened. See you tomorrow."

Sitting on the couch sipping a cup of tea, I was going over everything that had happened with Jasper and me since we met last night. While I understood his being upset at the thought that his account wasn't being given the prestige and attention it should have gotten, it still didn't excuse his behavior towards me. That was just down right rude.

The phone rang startling me out of my reverie. It was Margo, from the office. "I just heard the good news, Edward! Congratulations! Lucky for you Scott got an offer elsewhere. Aren't you excited?" she gushed.

"Yes, Margo, I'm thrilled," I replied.

"Well, you don't sound it. Getting to work with Jasper Whitlock, I'm so jealous!" she continued.

"Thanks, Margo, I guess it hasn't hit me yet about both the promotion and getting to work with Jasper Whitlock. It's a lot to take in, you know?" I responded.

"I can only imagine. We all heard about the big blowout between you, Emmett and Jasper Whitlock. What exactly happened?" she asked.

"Well, I really don't want to talk about it, suffice to say that he is judgmental and chauvinistic and I couldn't give a hoot whether or not I ever saw the man again," I snapped out.

"Ooooh, sounds like you've got the hots for him," she joked.

"That's the furthest thing from the truth! The man is an ass who jumps to conclusions and judges people without bothering to find out the truth," I yelled.

"I can see this is a sore topic with you, Edward. Let's drop it and we'll speak tomorrow. Maybe we'll go out this weekend and celebrate," she suggested.

"Great, thanks. See you tomorrow." Hanging up the phone, I couldn't wrap my mind around Margo's accusation. How could she even suggest that I had the hots for him? Granted, he was as handsome as all fuck, but what an asshole he was.

The morning came way too soon, and the minute I walked in, Patty grabbed me. "Emmett wants to see you in is office asap, Edward."

"Thanks, Patty. Do you happen to know what it's all about?" I asked being in no mood for more drama.

"No, but I'll tell you this, Mike Newton and Jasper Whitlock are in there, too," Patty gushed.

"Oh no!" I groaned. "Why me?"

"You'd better hurry. They've been in there for a while now waiting for you," Patty informed me.

Dropping my things off at my desk, I straightened my suit jacket and ran my fingers through my hair. I was determined to be as professional as I possibly could be. Jasper was going to see that I wasn't going to let his threats and prejudices get to me.

Striding into the room, the three men stood when I entered. Emmett pulled out the chair closest to him and motioned for me to sit in it.

"It's good to see you, Edward," Emmett said. "Have a seat here. Would you like some coffee before we begin?"

Sitting in the seat next to Emmett, I declined the coffee and placed my hands in my lap to maintain my semblance of calm.

Mike Newton sat down and turned to me. "Hello, Edward. It's nice to see you as I haven't for a while. My travels keep me away from the office so much. How have you been?"

I liked Mike Newton, as he was a really nice man. He was older than Emmett, maybe sixty to Emmett's forty, and he was the big brain behind McCarty and Newton. Mike did all of the traveling to meet with out of state clients. When he was in the office, he was always cheerful and pleasant, and he brought a smile to my face now.

"Hello, Mike. It's good to see you, too. I'm doing well, thanks for asking," I replied. Turning to face Jasper, I took a deep breath. "Hello, Mr. Whitlock, I didn't expect to see you again so soon." Jasper looked over at me and, even sitting down, he was very imposing.

"Hello, Mr. Cullen. Now that you're here, maybe we can get on with this meeting?" he questioned, looking to Emmett. "Do you wish to begin?"

Emmett cleared his throat. "I've brought Mike up to date on all that's been going on. Obviously, there has been a very big misunderstanding here. Since it's my fault, I don't want to see Edward penalized for it."

"I'm willing to hear what you have to say, but I make no promises about changing my mind," Jasper stated honestly.

"Fair enough," Emmett agreed. "Edward is being promoted to one of the account executive positions. One of his accounts is going to be your account. He has obtained this position based upon his own merit and nothing else. When I told you that our new account executive would be meeting with you, I meant Edward. That was my first mistake, as I should have told Edward about the promotion beforehand so that he would have been able to clarify that information for you. As for Edward and me, there is nothing going on here but a very good boss-employee relationship, which has turned into a very good friendship. He is also very close to my wife, Rosalie, and my two children. Any questions?" Emmett looked at me, Jasper, and Mike in turn.

"While I trust your judgment, Emmett, I find it hard to believe that you would turn over such a big account to a novice without some kind of ulterior motive. How do you explain that?" Jasper inquired.

Emmett turned to face Mike. "Do you want to handle this one?" he asked.

Mike got up from his chair and began walking around the room. "It would be my pleasure. Mr. Whitlock, I know that you don't know me very well, but I hope you trust my judgment enough to be open minded about what I say. I've known Mr. Cullen since he stared working here six years ago. He started out as a receptionist as he put himself through college. He was then promoted to a junior executive assistant position. Once we realized what a creative mind he had, we had him transferred over here working directly with Emmett. Working on our advertising layouts was a big responsibility, but he handled it beautifully. He has been very helpful to the whole staff and I mean it when I say that not one proposal has left here without at least one of his ideas incorporated into it. As a matter of fact, the proposal for your company was made up almost wholly of Mr. Cullen's ideas with a little finessing from Emmett and the rest of the team. I think that he has proven that he deserves this position and I am positive he will do a wonderful job with your account if you let him."

When Mike finished, he took his seat and motioned to Emmett to speak. "Thank you, Mike, I couldn't have said it better myself. Edward is there anything you'd like to add?"

After thinking for a moment, I gathered up my courage to speak. "Yes, there is. While I'm very lucky to work with people who respect me and who appreciate my work, I don't think I could work with someone who was always wondering how I earned my paycheck." I looked over at Jasper as I made that last remark. "If Mr. Whitlock can put all of this behind him and start over again, I guess I'd be willing to try it."

Jasper returned my stare for a moment before responding. "Since I am a fair man, and out of respect for both Emmett and Mike, I think we can give it a try. But I'm warning you, I am a very hard taskmaster especially when I don't trust someone." Standing, he continued speaking as he made his way to the door. "That concludes my participation in this meeting. Mike, it was a pleasure meeting you. Emmett, I will be speaking to you. Mr. Cullen, I expect you in my office 9:00 a.m. Monday morning to finalize the details of this proposal. Enjoy your weekend." Leaving the office, he slammed the door behind him leaving the three of us to look at each other and shrug our shoulders.

It was going to be a long weekend.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: It's an update! Shocking, I know. Unfortunately, real life has not been cooperating with my pre reader, my beta or me. Anyways, big thanks to OCDJen and Ealasaid77 for taking the time out of their busy lives to work their magic on this. Enjoy!**

_Jasper returned my stare for a moment before responding. "Since I am a fair man, and out of respect for both Emmett and Mike, I think we can give it a try. But I'm warning you, I am a very hard taskmaster especially when I don't trust someone." Standing, he continued speaking as he made his way to the door. "That concludes my participation in this meeting. Mike, it was a pleasure meeting you. Emmett, I will be speaking to you. Mr. Cullen, I expect you in my office 9:00 a.m. Monday morning to finalize the details of this proposal. Enjoy your weekend." Leaving the office, he slammed the door behind him leaving the three of us to look at each other and shrug our shoulders. _

_It was going to be a long weekend._

Chapter 3

Monday morning came all too quickly, and I found myself taking a few deep breaths as the elevator doors opened. Stepping out into a large reception area, I caught the eye of a young and beautiful girl sitting at the reception desk. Her nameplate showed her name as Gianna, and she smiled at me as I approached her.

"Can I help you, sir?" she asked in a pleasant voice while giving me the once over.

"Yes, Gianna, you can. I'm Edward Cullen and I'm here to see Jasper Whitlock."

"Oh, you're Edward Cullen! Have a seat and I will let him know you are here. He's been waiting for you," she remarked as she picked up her phone.

Glancing around the waiting room, I was surprised to see that it was filled with comfortable furniture in pale grey, softened with just a little mauve. It was obvious to me that the man himself had nothing to do with the decorating otherwise it would be as sterile as a hospital room.

My musings were interrupted by the Gianna's voice. "Mr. Whitlock will see you now. Step this way please."

Spinning around, I picked up my briefcase from where I had laid it on the sofa, and followed Gianna down the hallway. The hallway opened into another reception area where there was another young, and beautiful blond manning the desk. Jasper sure did like to surround himself with beautiful women, so what was the deal with his reaction to me?

The blond stood up and offered her hand. "Hello, I'm Julia, Mr. Whitlock's secretary. May I take your coat?"

Shrugging out of my jacket, I handed it to her. "Yes, thank you."

After hanging it up, she then ushered me into a conference room where she instructed me that Mr. Whitlock would be joining me momentarily.

"There's coffee on the sideboard, so just help yourself," she instructed me as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Making myself a cup of coffee, I readied my materials on the table and sat back to wait. Within minutes, Jasper made his way through the door.

"Well, Mr. Cullen, I'm glad to see that you were able to make it on time today. No traffic accidents?" he said facetiously as he laid his portfolio on the table.

"Look, Mr. Whitlock, I understand that there are hard feelings between us, but can we please wipe the slate clean and start over? If we can't, then I can't see us having a successful working relationship," I stated standing up to make myself on even ground with him.

Jasper hesitated for just a moment before answering. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, this time." His eyebrow cocked slightly. "Now, let's get down to business. Do you have the rough draft of the storyboards?" he asked.

"Yes, I do, but these are the original storyboards that were done by Scott. I spent some time reviewing them, and made some changes that I would like to review with you," I answered hesitantly while waiting for his reply.

"Sounds good," Jasper answered as we got to work. The next couple of hours passed by rather quickly as we were concentrating on our work. The buzz of the intercom made us both jump.

"Jasper," Julia said, her voice sounded tinny coming through the machine. "Melissa is on the phone for you. I've explained to her that you are in a meeting, but she is insisting that I interrupt you."

"What in the devil does she want? Hasn't she caused enough trouble already?" Running his fingers through his hair, he let out an exasperated sigh before answering. "Tell her to hold, I'll take the call in my office." Turning to me, he gestured toward the table. "You stay here, I'll be right back."

When Jasper left I got up and stretched my legs while wondering what that outburst of Jasper's was all about. Melissa must be the woman that Emmett was telling me about. The conference room was warm, and it was making me a little sleepy. Loosening my tie, I unbuttoned the top button of my shirt and stretched my arms above my head to work the kinks out of my back and to wake up a little.

"Don't think your tricks are going to work with me," Jasper growled as he came back into the room.

I whirled around at his words with confusion written all over my face. "What are you talking about? What happened?" I stammered.

"Just because Emmett is susceptible to you showing yourself off, don't think that I'm the same way. I warned you about trying to play games with me."

"I don't have any idea what you are talking about. All I was doing was stretching to get the kinks out," I snapped angrily.

Jasper strode towards me. "Look, if this is what you want, then this is what you are going to get!" he barked as he grabbed my head in his hands and lowered his mouth to mine in a crushing kiss.

Putting my hands up against his chest, I tried to push him away but he was too strong and my resistance was too low. My knees were weak and I was getting a warm, familiar feeling in my groin. Jasper slid one arm down my back and cupped my ass, pulling me closer to him. His arousal pressed against me and it sent a thrill through my body. I slid my hands up his chest and onto his shoulders. He pressed closer to me and held me tight against his chest, sliding his lips through my hair, moving them down my neck to my throat. The sound of the intercom buzzing jarred us apart.

"Damn," he yelled angrily, "Why didn't I turn that thing off?" Pushing the button, he shouted a quick, "Yes, Julia? What is it?"

"Jasper, Mr. Webb is on the phone. He's on his way in from the airport and he said it's urgent he speak with you."

"Pass it through and after this I'm not taking anymore calls no matter who it is. Understand?" he demanded.

"Yes, sir," Julia peeped. "Here's the call."

While Jasper was on the phone, I shook off the fog that consumed me and realized that I had to get out of here before I lost all of my restraint. Taking the opportunity, I straightened out my shirt and tie, and packed up my work. By the time Jasper was done, I was ready to go.

"Edward? What's the matter? Where are you going?" Jasper questioned me as he blocked my path to the door.

"Our work is done. The rest can be worked on at a later date. There is no reason for me to stay any longer, " I said briskly as I tried to make my way past him.

"Oh, is that how you work? You give a guy a little taste and then hold out until he'll do anything for more? Is that how you got your promotion by keeping Emmett drooling after you, and holding out on him until you got your promotion?" he spit, moving away from the door.

"I really resent you speaking to me like that. You're the one who tries to force yourself on me, more than once, and you make it sound like I threw myself at you!" I chuckled sarcastically.

"You didn't exactly fight me off, now did you?" He smirked. "Well, let me warn you, don't play games with me because this will be one game you'll end up losing. Now, get out and take your bag of tricks elsewhere."

"Wait a minute! Just because one woman took advantage of you and your relationship, that is no reason for punishing the rest of us. Why don't you try forgetting about her because it's obvious she's forgotten about you!" I screamed before running down the hallway and through the reception area out to the elevators. I could feel Julia and Gianna's eyes on me the whole way and I could hear Jasper's screams of frustration and the sound of breaking glass.

Forgoing the elevator, I ran down the stairs, hailed a cab and headed back to the office.

It had been about a week since that fateful meeting in Jasper Whitlock's office, and I was just coming to terms with things. After explaining everything to Emmett, I spent an hour calming him down and convincing him not to go after Jasper; I headed out to lunch and stayed glued to my desk for the rest of the day. The week passed by slowly, and I jumped every time the phone rang expecting it to be Jasper.

Finally moving into my new office, I spent most of my time, once I had finished unpacking and organizing everything, interviewing people to try to find someone to replace me. When I met with Jacob, I knew right away he would be a good fit, and his resume and references certainly indicated that he was perfectly capable of taking care of Emmett and the company. Jacob met with Emmett and the two seemed to hit it off making me very confident that their work union would be very successful.

"Edward," Patty called as she buzzed on the Intercom. "Jasper Whitlock is on the line for you."

Panic filled me at the thought of speaking with him so I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "Tell him I'm in a meeting and will have to call him back."

Taking a few deep breaths, I tried to calm myself down. Patty's voice buzzed right back through the intercom causing me to jump out of my skin again. "Edward? He said it's urgent and he's calling from his cell phone." Sighing, I knew I had to face him now.

"Okay, Patty, thanks. I'll take it now." Taking one last deep breath, I picked up the phone.

"Hello, Mr. Whitlock, Edward Cullen here. How can I help you?" I said trying to control the tremors in my voice.

"Well, for one thing, you can tell me why I haven't heard from you in a week. I was hoping to hear how things were progressing with the finalization of my advertising proposal?" Jasper said confidently.

"Everything is coming along just fine," I assured him. "By the end of the week we will have the story boards for the television commercial and the layout for the print ads ready for your review. You signed all the necessary paperwork so we'll be able to start auditions next week for models for the print ads. Once the story boards and layouts are done, I'll just send them over to you for your final approval."

"Everything sounds good except for one thing. Bring the boards and layouts over yourself so we can review them in person," Jasper demanded.

"There's no reason for us to meet. All of this can be handled over the phone, and that's the only way I can be sure there is no replay of what happened last time. There's nothing wrong with a conference call, and I'm not trying to shortchange you in any way. Your account will always get my all, but I just feel it's better if we don't meet," I explained as best as I could.

"Well, Edward, I feel differently. After all, I am a multimillion-dollar account and I feel I deserve some personal attention. My senior management team is very concerned that an inexperienced account executive is handling this account. It took quite a bit of convincing on my part to allow you to stay. They want personal assurance that you can handle this job. That's another reason why I am calling you. We are all meeting for dinner tonight and they want you to join us." Jasper's voice was smug as he finished.

"Listen, Mr. Whitlock, I'm very sorry, but I can't make it tonight. If they have any doubts about my abilities, they can speak to Emmett or Mike," I stated.

"That's right, hide behind Emmett. He'll take care of things for you, as always, I'm sure. And, what will you have to do in return?" he questioned me sarcastically.

By now, my blood was boiling. "You never stop, do you? Just because that woman only slept with you to get her promotion doesn't mean that everyone else does the same thing!" I screamed into the phone.

There was dead silence on the other end and I could have kicked myself for letting my temper get the best of me.

Finally, Jasper responded. "I would appreciate it if you would stop mentioning that or do you enjoy rubbing salt in the wound?"

"Look, I really am sorry about saying that, but you do seem to rub me the wrong way," I explained, feeling a little bad for blurting it out.

"And about tonight?" he asked again.

Here was my defining moment come to pass. If I declined, then I wasn't doing my job. My only recourse was to agree. "Okay, Mr. Whitlock, let's both agree to be professional about this. I'll see you and your team tonight," I blurted before my confidence left me.

"Great, Edward, see you at 6:00 sharp in your lobby. Be ready," Jasper stated before promptly hanging up the phone.

Looking into the dead receiver, I replied, "Oh, I'll be ready. I'll be ready for anything!"

The rest of the day passed in a blur as I tried not to think of my dinner plans for that evening. When 6:00 rolled around I got my things together and was just heading out the door when my intercom buzzed.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Cullen, this is Jim at the front desk. Mr. Whitlock is here for you and is on his way up."

"On his way up? No, no, I'll be right down!" I exclaimed in surprise. Everyone was already gone for the day and I did not want to be stuck up here with Jasper, alone.

"Sorry, sir, he's already gone up."

"That's okay, thanks anyway," I sighed in resignation.

My office door opened and Jasper walked in. "I wasn't sure I'd find you here. Thought maybe you would try to get out of seeing me." He smirked.

"When it comes to business, I act professionally which is more than I can say about some people," I retorted snidely.

Holding his hands up in front of him, Jasper gave me his most dazzling grin. "I thought we called a truce," he laughed.

Shaking my head sheepishly, I concurred. "Point taken. Shall we go? We don't want to keep your board members waiting."

In the elevator on the way down, I stayed as far away from Jasper as I could. In the limousine, I put my briefcase on the seat in between us ignoring Jasper's raided eyebrow. I know I was acting like a girl with a crush on the high school football captain, but I couldn't help it. No matter how many times I told myself this was business and only business, I couldn't help remembering what had happened between us and how much I had enjoyed it.

When we arrived at the restaurant, Jasper introduced me to everyone and behaved himself at the table. Dinner went much better than I expected, and I felt very confident that I had calmed the fears of the senior management team. The ride home was much more relaxing than the ride there and, as a result of my new found confidence, when Jasper suggested I invite him up for coffee, I didn't refuse.

"You did very well tonight, and I think the board is now assured of your ability to handle this account," Jasper said as he removed his suit jacket and loosened his tie.

"Thanks, I'm glad to hear that as I must admit I was a little worried after everything that's happened between us. Despite all of that, I want to thank you for defending me at dinner. I didn't expect it and I'm sure it went a long way towards getting them to accept me," I stated as I began making our coffee in my Keurig.

After a few minutes of silence, I looked up at Jasper to see why he hadn't answered me. He was staring at me intently with a stern look on his face.

"Is something wrong?" I asked nervously. Things had been going so well for the last few hours and I didn't want to do anything to screw that up.

"No, I just want to apologize for my behaviour last week. It wasn't appropriate for me to take my anger at Melissa out on you. It was just unfortunate that she called when she did. I hope you can accept my apology and that we can work things out. This is not easy for me to admit, but I'm not going to lie and tell you that I'm not attracted to you because I am. But, I made that mistake once in my life and I won't do it again, I promise," he concluded solemnly.

To say I was stunned by his revelations would be an understatement. "Thank you for being honest with me, Jasper. I know it must be hard for you to have to work with me when you're not sure of my experience or my ability. As time goes on, I know you will find that your faith in me has been justified. It must be hard for you to feel that way after the experience you had, but you have to realize that not everyone is as deceitful as that woman was."

"And regarding my attraction towards you?" he questioned me.

"If I'm honest, I'll admit that I'm attracted to you as well. However, it really has no place in our business relationship, not if we want it to be successful," I stated.

"Agreed. Thanks for the coffee, but I'd better be going. I'll be in touch," Jasper said shaking my hand and engulfing me in his smell.

After Jasper left, I realized something. I was hard just from his touch and his smell, and I had to work closely with him for the next several months. I was well and truly fucked.


End file.
